Ask Is affiliate marketing a realistic income stream for someone starting from zero followers?

[Newman]

Affiliate marketing means you promote someone else's product and earn a small commission when people buy through your link. Starting from zero followers makes it harder because you need an audience to click those links. But it is not impossible. Some people grow through blogging, YouTube, or forums before social media even becomes part of the picture. It takes time to build that trust and traffic before the commissions become meaningful. Is affiliate marketing something that works better when combined with another content strategy, or can it stand alone from the start?